Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Leo was smart. He knew that the timing of this meeting was not accidental, that surely, the basilisks were planning to take down the royals. He didn’t know about the crest-he had no clue that his father’s free will was being used as a bargaining chip. But there was no need for him to know. Those were just details, scraps of information that would tangle a plan that needed to be perfect.
Finally, Caspen replied, “You are not wrong.”
Leo nodded. And that was the end of it.
With one last lingering glance at Tem, Caspen turned and disappeared back into the passageway. Tem didn’t go after him. There was no point. She would simply have to wait to see what the ripple effect of this conversation would be moving forward. She would have to hope for the best.
Leo broke the silence. “That went well.”
Tem suppressed a bizarre urge to laugh. “You’re still alive. So yes, it did.”
Leo chuckled quietly. “Have you so little faith in his self-restraint?”
“I have faith in his self-restraint,” Tem said. “But not in his temper. And if you knew him better, you’d feel the same.”
Leo’s smile faded. “I very much doubt he’ll give me the opportunity.”
“It doesn’t matter, Leo,” Tem said tiredly. “We just have to move forward.”
Leo seemed to sense her exhaustion because his hand touched her waist tentatively, pulling her against him. It remained there as they made their way back to the carriage, moving to encircle her shoulders on the ride back to the castle. They exited the carriage together, and when they reached the landing before Leo’s room, they turned to each other.
Tem opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by the arrival of Vera, who flounced up the stairs with insistent glee. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she purred at Leo.
That much was apparent. It was nearly dawn; Vera had probably been roaming the castle all night in an attempt to bed him.
“Vera,” Leo said dully. “Hello.”
Her smile faltered at his tone. “You wanted to see me?” she said.
Leo raised an eyebrow, as if he’d just remembered something. “Ah.” He nodded. “Yes, I did.”
Vera flourished once more. “Wonderful. Because I was thinking we could-“
“I’m afraid we will not be continuing with our courtship.”
Vera’s mouth fell open. So did Tem’s.
“Excuse me?” she scoffed, her hateful gaze flashing to Tem. “Are you telling me you’re choosing her?”
“Yes,” Leo said. “I am.”
Tem sensed something new in his energy-something calm. He seemed to have discovered some sort of inner peace in the last day, an assuredness that sustained him from deep within. Nothing seemed to bother Leo anymore. He was a man with purpose now. It looked good on him.
But Vera wasn’t done. “I hope you like the taste of chicken shit,” she spat. “Because that’s all you’ll get with her.”
Leo straightened. “I would ask that you not disparage my future wife in front of me. As of now, you are no longer a guest in my home. If you are unable to see yourself out, I shall find someone to escort you.”
Vera’s face went tight with shock. For all the times she’d publicly humiliated Tem, this was not how either of them expected their rivalry to pan out. Vera stepped forward, and for a moment, Tem thought she might smack her. Instead, she burst into violent, gulping tears before turning without another word and running sobbing down the stairs.
“Sorry, darling,” Leo murmured, almost as an afterthought.
Tem was frozen in place, shocked by what she’d just seen. She barely noticed as Leo steered her back into his room, only snapping back to the present when he crossed to his nightstand, pulled out a small velvet box, and returned to her.
Leo knelt.
“Tem,” he whispered.
The entire world went silent. Tem could hear nothing but her own heartbeat, which pounded like thunder in her chest.
“I know my time with you is somewhat borrowed,” Leo said quietly. “And I know that I will never have all of you. But, Tem.” He paused, looking her right in the eye. “It is without ego that I say your presence in my life has changed me immeasurably. You are headstrong. And stubborn. And infuriatingly difficult to please.”
She smiled at that one.
Leo continued. “You are also courageous. And irresistible. And you invariably make me a better person, even when I struggle to return the favor. In short, you are too good for me. But I’m asking for you anyway.”
Tears were coming. She didn’t bother holding them back.
“I am greedy when it comes to you, Tem. I want every moment you’re willing to give me. Even if our marriage offers me nothing but the opportunity to humble myself before you, it would be worth it to spend what’s left of my life in your presence.” He opened the box. “Would you do me the honor of being my queen?”
They were beautiful words. And they were all for her.
Tem had only one word for him in return: “Yes.”
A wide smile split Leo’s face, and he stood, drawing her into a deep kiss. Tem was floored by his vulnerability and deeply touched by his proposal. He was signing up for a compromise-agreeing to a lifetime of sharing her. The sacrifice was not lost on her. It was the highest compliment she could be given. She only hoped she was worthy of it.
Leo took her hand and slid on the ring. “It was my mother’s,” he offered. “We will get you a proper jewel if you wish. But I didn’t want to propose with gold.”
Tem looked at her finger. The ring was polished silver, not unlike the ring she used to wear for special occasions. It was not flashy or excessive or boisterous. And it was not made from the blood of her people.
It was perfect.
Leo kissed her again, and for a moment, Tem allowed herself to be happy.
But soon, fear set in. The only thing she could think about was how scared she was for Leo, how deeply she wanted to protect him, how even though she knew his proposal was exactly what was needed to keep him safe, she was slowly crumbling beneath the pressure to do so.
“When will the wedding be?” she asked when they drew apart.
“My family has already arrived,” Leo answered. “And the ceremony has been planned for months. So whenever you wish.”
Tem nodded. Adelaide had said she had less than a week before the consequences of Caspen’s crest would take their toll. That meant they needed to get married in a matter of days. Tem wasn’t sure how to suggest this without sounding insane.
Before she could truly spiral, Leo spoke. “The harvest moon is tomorrow.”
The harvest moon was the official marker of autumn and would afford them ample moonlight in the early evening.
“You want to get married tomorrow?”
Leo only shrugged. “Every day we wait is a day your father continues to suffer.”
Tem felt a sudden swell of tenderness for him. Leo had always known that the way to her heart was through the people she cared about. She thought of how willing he’d been to face Caspen, how immediately he’d considered her father’s well-being. But Leo thought their only problem was the bloodletting, that their timeline was influenced solely by Kronos.
He had no idea what was to come.
“Tomorrow it is.”
One glance at the sky told Tem it was nearly tomorrow already. They’d been at the caves for so long that the sun was already beginning to rise. Leo seemed to notice this at the same time as she did.
“I’ll inform my father,” he said.
“Should I come with you?”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.